Fuel Pump; Help and ideas needed . . .

[cheshirecat]

Can anyone please help me???

After hitting something the size of a coke can tonight and hearing a clunk, my TVR quickly lost power and died. I'm presuming it's a fuel pump problem now as the pump cannot be heard when selected either through the fob or key. There was no leak under the car. Of course it could also be an immobiliser problem.

Can anyone advise on anything I may have hit under my car which would lead to the fuel pimp being inoperable.

Any ideas appreciated.

[Paul V]

Might be worth checking to see if you can hear the relays clicking in the footwell, not sure if there is a inhibitor switch on the Chim, can’t remember and my Steve Heath books in the garage. Might be one behind the dash actually, if the relays not click it might need resetting.

>> Edited by Paul V on Saturday 26th November 23:01

[perma-grin]

worth getting under the car - axle stand should do and checking the connectors on the pump itself - they are exposed and prone to a knock/corrosion.
Pump is (on my 99 500) just in from the rear passenger wheel on main chassis
Had a similar issue a while back and this was the result.

[GreenV8S]

You probably won't be able to hear the relay unless you peel back the carpet at the bottom of the passenger's footwell. Then you should hear the fuel pump relay click on when you switch the ignition on, and off a second or so later. You'll hear the main power relay click on at the same time, but that will take take or fifteen seconds before it clicks off.

If the relay is dead, it may be a connection somewhere has been dislodged.

If the relay clicks and the pump doesn't run, it could be that a wire has been knocked off the pump, or the inertia cut-out has tripped. Haven't seen a Chimaera cut-out in the flesh but I understand it's the same sort used on the V8S, but fitted behind the dash. In that case it'll have a button on top which pops up when it trips, and you need to push it down to reset it.

[jonathant]

The Chimaera cutout is above the "glove box". You'll need to remove it with a screwdriver and have a ferret around. I recall it's a big round rubber button which needs pushing in. The MIL light is also supposed to light for 10-15 secs at ignition on instead of just blink.

[xain]

Hi,

I had this very problm down an unmade country lane in rural France. Aaaarrggghhh!!

Turned out that it was just the wire got pulled off the connection on the pump itself. It's a bit exposed.

Get under and make sure that there's no dangling wire in the vicinity.

I put it back on and away it all went. Phew!

Jon

[cheshirecat]

Thanks for all the advice- you have given me plenty to think about.

I did try the reset button and that didn't work- but I had been stranded for 4 hours in the freezing weather by that time. The car is now safely garaged up (thanks to a kind guy from Egertons of Knutsford) and will have to await my inspection next month. Fingers crossed for a loose wire underneath.

[GreenV8S]

I you get stuck then a good emergency repair is to put a fused feed direct from the battery to the pump, bypassing all that dodgy electrics in the footwell.